IN THIS EDITION...Customized Professional Learning Spotlight | MECC Advisory Council Meeting Nov 15 | Infinite Campus Discovery Week Nov 13-17, Holiday Support Hours, & State Reporting Resources | IEFA Institute 11/30 & 12/1 | MT Safe & Healthy Schools Project Scholarships | CPI Job Opportunity | SSoM Programs Updates | Grant Opportunity | SSoM Partner Resources | Joke of the Week | Additional Resources featuring World Kindness Day and a Food Drive Competition | About SSoM | |
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MARION ELEMENTARY
In the fall of 2023, School Services of Montana partnered with Marion School District to develop and facilitate a half-day workshop designed to build teacher knowledge of the Science of Reading (SoR). Through learning about big ideas in how children learn to read and the most effective evidence-based instructional practices for teaching reading, Marion teachers developed expertise and built their capacity to make informed instructional choices within their curricular resources.
For more information about Customized Professional Learning CLICK HERE, or contact:
Genevieve Thomas, Director of Professional Learning | gthomas@mt-schools.org | 406-300-2561
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MECC ADVISORY
COUNCIL MEETING
Wed, Nov 15 | 1 - 2:30pm
Location: The Manhattan Saloon
Attention all MECC member Superintendents, Principals, & Curriculum Leads! Melissa Tovaas, Jake Chipps, and Cori Trudeau will be hosting a MECC Advisory Council meeting at The Manhattan Saloon directly following the Four Rivers MASS Superintendents meeting. Come for dessert on us! Click the MECC logo for more information about our curriculum consortium and list of members.
If you haven't already, please RSVP to SSoM Director of Curriculum & Assessment:
Jake Chipps | jchipps@mt-schools.org | (818) 481-6788
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INFINITE CAMPUS DISCOVERY WEEK
Nov. 13 - 17, 2023
Join staff from thousands of schools for the largest Infinite Campus training event of the year! These PD sessions are for school admin, IT, registrars, counselors, teachers - anyone in your district who uses Infinite Campus!
Montana's very own Infinite Campus support specialists will be leading a few sessions, so be sure to check them out:
Campus Analytics - Functionality of Early Warning | Tammy Blanchard
Assessments - Assessment Mapping & Import Wizard | Tammy Blanchard
Grading & Standards - Standards Based Grading Setup | Mary Anne Skinner
Surveys - Designer, Messenger, and Reports | Mary Anne Skinner
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Please reach out to our Director of Infinite Campus Support Services with questions:
Mary Anne Skinner | maskinner@mt-schools.org | (406) 256-7306
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INFINITE CAMPUS SUPPORT
THANKSGIVING WEEK
Mary Anne Skinner will be on-call.
Please contact her with any questions
as the other Tech Minions will be away
enjoying the holiday weekend.
ON-CALL HOURS
Wed, Nov 22 | 8 - 5pm
Thurs, Nov 23 | Office Closed
Fri, Nov 24 | 8 - 3pm
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NEW SSoM WEBPAGE: STATE REPORTING RESOURCES
In our partnership with the AIM reporting unit, our Infinite Campus Support Team created a webpage to assist in the State Reporting Season for the 23-24 School Year.
RESOURCES INCLUDED:
AIM Data Collection Schedule 23-24 SY
Steps to a Successful Reporting Season
TEAMS-Specific Reporting Tips
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GALLATIN VALLEY
IEFA INSTITUTE
Nov. 30 & Dec. 1 | $20 per person per day includes lunch
Location: Montana State University, Bozeman
Join us for one or both days of IEFA learning with
award-winning educators Jordan Lankford-Forster
(Bright Trail Woman) and Miranda Murray!
The Gallatin Valley IEFA Institute event will offer educators an opportunity to delve into Indigenous education by providing foundational information concerning the seven "Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians." Participants will learn how to effectively integrate Indigenous content into their curricula, regardless of their initial familiarity with the subject. This event emphasizes the evaluation and inclusion of Native resources to provide a diverse perspective, ultimately enriching students' educational experiences and promoting cultural diversity in the classroom.
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MONTANA SAFE & HEALTHY SCHOOLS PROJECT
Proactive Approaches to Preventing
School Violence
School Services of Montana has been awarded a GRANT through the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance's STOP School Violence program. Check out the next phase of our project:
>> CARING SCHOOL COMMUNITY SCHOOLWIDE SCHOLARSHIPS <<
One of our project goals is to provide resources and support for schoolwide programs focusing on whole child skill development. As part of these efforts, SSoM is offering Caring School Community Schoolwide Program Scholarships to MT schools serving grades K - 8.
Click here for Project & Scholarship Details, New Resources, and our Participation Survey.
Melissa Tovaas, SSoM Executive Director | mtovaas@mt-schools.org | (406) 272-0021
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Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Instructor for SSoM
Part-time, Contracted Position
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SSoM is seeking a part-time Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) instructor. This position would be ideal for a special educator or a related service provider with experience in behavior management and flexibility for part-time hours year-round. Please circulate the position description within your networks. Click here for Details and Application Instructions. | |
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CUSTOMIZED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING | Details
SSoM provides PD customized to the needs of your staff and students, both in-person & online, and will work with you to create a plan that fits your needs. Contact us for pricing, member discounts, and multi-day contract discounts!
Program Contact: Genevieve Thomas | gthomas@mt-schools.org | (406) 300-2561
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MECC CURRICULUM CONSORTIUM | Details
Get ready for an action-packed school year of captivating curriculum collaboration with our brand new Director of Curriculum and Assessment, Jake Chipps!
Program Contact: Jake Chipps | jchipps@mt-schools.org | (818) 481-6788
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CO-OP FOOD PROGRAM | 23-24 SY Details
This program features FREE ACCESS to ALL Schools in Montana! Districts who submitted a 22-23 SY Opt-in form are NOT required to re-submit for 23-24. Your participation in our program as been automatically rolled over with the US Foods / School Services of Montana contract roll-over, per bid contract language. Join at any time during the school year!
Coming Soon: Clean Plate Club Monthly Newsletter
Program Contact: Jennifer Brekke | jbrekke@mt-schools.org | (406) 580-7547
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MEDICAID BILLING PROGRAM | Details
Over 900 providers currently log services online in the SSoM Service Portal. For program details and Program Manager Lisa Waterman's bio, click the link above.
Medicaid Service Portal Newsletter November 2023 Edition
Program Contact: Lisa Waterman | Lwaterman@mt-schools.org | (406) 272-0073
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INFINITE CAMPUS SUPPORT | Details
Did you know? You can make the switch to SSoM Infinite Campus Support at ANY TIME during the school year! Our dedicated support team works closely with OPI and understands Montana District SIS needs. Plus, your SUPPORT FEES WILL NOT INCREASE when you switch!
IC YES Series PD: Jan 9 - 10 | Feb 6 - 7 | Mar 6 & 20 | April 2 - 3 | May 7 - 8
Program Contact: Mary Anne Skinner | maskinner@mt-schools.org | (406) 256-7306
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AWS K-12 CYBER GRANT PROGRAM
AWS launches $20 million K12 Cyber Grant Program
Recognizing the need for the K12 community to enhance cybersecurity protection against intrusion, ransomware attacks, and data breaches, AWS created a non-competitive K12 Cyber Grant Program and is investing $20 million in AWS promotional credits for new and existing customers.
The grant is open to K12 public school districts, regional education service agencies (ESAs), and state departments of education (DOEs) to implement cloud-based cybersecurity solutions to increase their security posture. Grant awards take into consideration the type of entity, student enrollment for districts, and students supported (ESAs and DOEs).
In addition to the grant funding, AWS has committed to upskilling staff through no-cost training, and providing no-cost cyber incident response assistance to AWS K12 customers in the event of a cyberattack.
Click the AWS logo for complete details, or click here to apply.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 31, 2023
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SSoM PARTNER OPPORTUNITIES | | |
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MSU SCIENCE MATH RESOURCE CENTER (SMRC)
Brainstorms! October 2023 | Subscribe Here
FREE Neuroscience Citizen Science Resource Downloads! Engage your middle school students in two neuroscience-related citizen science projects while they learn about the eye, the brain, and diseases of the nervous system while contributing to authentic neuroscience research themselves! No experience is required; our tutorial video will walk you through how to join the projects.
LESSON 1: Eye Wire - a Game to Map the Brain
The goal of this lesson and activity is to introduce students to the anatomy of the eye and how the eye connects to the brain so that we can understand what we are seeing.
LESSON 2: Stall Catchers and How We Can All Fight Alzheimer's Disease
The goal of this lesson and activity is to give students an introduction to Alzheimer’s Disease and to offer them the opportunity to participate in citizen science
Click here for FREE resources | MSU Citizen Science Network
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MONTANA PBS LEARNING MEDIA FOR TEACHERS CELEBRATES NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
FREE | Asynchronous | Earn OPI Credit | Share in Your Classroom!
Playing for the World: 1904 Fort Shaw Indian Girls' Basketball Team
The Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School, located in the Sun River Valley outside Great Falls, Montana was one of the first schools in Montana to feature basketball as a recreational sport for girls. In 1902, ten girls formed a team that would become renowned for its skill, tenacity, and the maturing young women’s dignity—on and off the court. The team members, who came from Indian nations in Montana and Idaho, dealt with racial and gender stereotypes, but their talent and style of play began drawing large crowds of enthusiastic fans.
Using 9 video clips, discussion questions, and other support materials, share this unique story with your students as they study Native American History. Page includes link to original video (56:44).
Content Areas: Indian Education for All, Social Studies, MT History
Grades: 6-8, 9-12
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WORLD KINDNESS DAY IS MON, NOVEMBER 13
With World Kindness Day next week, let’s start now and spread some kindness. Check out some of the of the Daily Dose of Kindness ideas from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation®.
ATTENTION TEACHERS ! ! !
The foundation has an entire section dedicated to Kindness at School! Make kindness the norm at your school with their quality curriculum provided FREE of charge. Plus, Kindness in the Classroom is a CASEL-approved, highly effective, evidence-based, social emotional learning curriculum used all over the world, with focuses on equity, teacher self-care, digital citizenship and kindness.
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GALLATIN VALLEY FOOD BANK - CELEBRATING 24 YEARS OF
THE CAN THE GRIZ FOOD DRIVE!
Can the Griz is a friendly off-field competition between the MSU and the Bozeman Community against the UM and Missoula community to see which community can raise the most food and money in the two weeks leading up to the annual Brawl of the Wild!
Saturday, Nov. 4 – Nov. 18
The Bobcats have successfully canned the Griz 19 of 23 years. Help them do it again! The winner of the competition will be announced during the Cat-Griz football game.
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ABOUT SCHOOL SERVICES of MONTANA | |
OUR MISSION
School Services of Montana commits to providing equitable support and services designed to leverage school resources, enhance curriculum and instruction, and offer economically sustainable solutions. Through collaboration with government, public, and local entities, SSoM provides personalized, innovative programs to empower and connect Montana’s diverse school communities.
SSoM Members educate nearly 60,000 students across the state. Membership is open to all K-12 school districts, public or private, and education-based organizations primarily serving Montana’s youth. While membership is not required to participate in the vast majority of SSoM programs and services, membership does have its perks. Click here : )
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